19 MAY 2017: Aye lads, it’s Captain Sparrow’s orders to dive in and find the Kraken. When you get to the bottom you’ll have a chance to explore a shipwreck in the clutch of the huge creature with tentacles 30 feet long. No, it’s not a scene from the latest Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, but a unique new attraction in the British Virgin Islands. The eco-friendly Art Reef that just sank to the bottom of the Caribbean is as audacious as its patron: Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group.
It took a ship that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and wrapped it with a graceful 80-foot-long sculpture of a giant octopus. Then the whole art project was deliberately sunk to become what Sir Richard calls an “eco-reef” accessible to scuba divers.
According to the serial entrepreneur’s blog, the arty wreck, “will be a unique platform for capturing people’s attention on the importance of addressing climate change, protecting coral reefs, and rehabilitating vulnerable marine species.” The plan is that the hull of the ship will be a perfect habitat for sea creatures including grouper, corals, sea sponges turtles, and even sharks.